In my previous post I talked about the need to choose wisely when hiring a contractor to paint your Tucson home. When you compare the bids from various contract consider if they do the following;
These are the step we regularly take when we are painting an exterior and why we take these steps:
Prepping to Paint
We pressure wash the exterior body, by doing so this removes the dust and cleans the surface allowing the paint to adhere properly and prevent the paint from peeling and lifting.
As part of the process of protecting you Tucson home from the elements we caulk doors and windows.
We professionally mask your home prior to painting. We protect your landscaping and property i.e. patio furniture gates that aren’t getting painted. We cover patio floors to protect from over spray or spilled paint. We pull the gravel away from the home to paint below grade and rake the gravel back when we’re done.
If the scope of work calls for stucco repairs we use Elastek’s Duratex. I use this product because it is an Elastomeric versatile, ready-to-use stucco patch and repair product with the ability to bond strongly. Another thing I like about this product is they don’t use silica sand when they make their textured patching material. The stucco on your Tucson home in most cases is mixed with river sand not silica sand. This helps the texture to blend with the stucco better, and you don’t have all those lines on your house that you see when the wrong product or technique is used to fill stucco cracks. This product is also vapor permeable which means it breathes with the wall which is very important.
Before we apply to the paint coat we prime bare surfaces with a 100% acrylic primer. So the paint coats stay on top of the surface they are applied to instead of being absorbed by the bare surface. This is especially important with wood surfaces because they take sure a beating in this harsh Tucson climate.
When we are painting a stucco surface we use a process called back rolling. What this means is we spray a heavy coat of paint on and follow behind with a roller allowing the nap of the roller paint all the angles of the stucco. Remember the primary reason for painting is to weather proof your home. Back rolling achieves this objective. After this is done we spray the 2nd coat on. This process is very important because as I stated in my previous post we use products with manufacturer’s warranties. In order for the warranty to be honored you have achieve a certain film thickness of paint and this is the best way to do that.
Most paint applications do not require we add water to the paint. We are not chemists we assume the manufacturer know best how they want their product applied.
When we’re done we clean up the work site sweeping sidewalks and raking up where needed. Because when we pressured washed the windows probably got water stains on them we will even clean your windows!
There’s More to a Bid Than Price
I’m sure you can understand when I say the low bidder is often times the more expensive one. Because he won’t be able to afford to use the premium quality products or follow the steps I have outlined. The real true value is often found in the higher bid. My Dad told me a long time ago, “people will remember a lot longer whether or not you did a good job for them then what they paid for it”. Assuming of course it was reasonable. I’d rather be known for being a good painter.
I understand we all want value when making a purchase. I’m a consumer also. My next post will offer suggestions of things you can do save money when you have your Tucson home painted that won’t affect the quality of the job.